Photos...the Art of Farming....
August, 2010
Well, they ARE too hot for me, but maybe not for you!
Above: Lambs' Quarters and Amaranth, our summer greens!
Native Purslane--omega-3, copper, antioxidents, deliciously mild.
Sunflowers and Daesene Green Eggplant....
July, 2010
Creamer Peas to shell...
Above: Left/Cherry Tomatoes and Basil; Right/Eggplants
Above, Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes....
Asian Long Beans, now on the table! And Larry's Wild Mustang Grape Juice is on the shelf!
New crop Sunflowers....
Above, FRESH Basil and Early Girl Tomatoes....pair with WaterOak Dairy's New Feta cheese,
and a splash of good olive oil, vinegar, salt.....Yum!
Above, from Left to Right: Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes, yellow Lemon Boys, Marconi Peppers & Early Girl Tomatoes
Fig Harvest is ongoing!
June, 2010
(Above, Eggplant: Black Beauty, Daesene Green, and Rosa Bianca)
Above: Staging the Cherry Tomatoes for the farm stand.
Above: Lemon Boys and Early Girls....
Above: Our current favorite heirloom, "Oaxacan Jewel."
Sunflowers for the Farm Stand Market...
Above: Lots of Tomatoes. Left to right: Heirloom Cherokee Purple, Sun Gold Cherries, Heirloom Prudens' Purple, Heriloom Oaxacan Jewel.
On Wednesdays at the farm stand,
Pet Hens Tootie J. Tootums and Harriet are big fans of Barrie's croissants!
Above, the hens pay rapt attention to a generous visitor.
Pam Walker's new book! Available at the farm stand!
Tropical Melon "Arava"
Sunflowers....
Above: Sunflower harvest begins this week!
Zinnia Bouquets....
Red La Soda and White Kennebec Potatoes...
Above: Early Girl Tomatoes.
Above: Cherokee Purple and other heirloom tomatoes on the farm stand tables now!
Two of our favorite Squashes: Left, Italian heirloom, Costata Romanesco (one cut open to show its silken interior) and right, Sunburst in all its fanciful beauty!)
Tomatoes!
Above: Two of our three varieties of
non-burp-causing Cucumbers: Tasty Jade and Suyo Long.
Try the chilled Cucumber/Avocado Soup at Texas French Bread/evenings!
(Above, FRESH Potatoes, potatoes:
Red La Soda, foreground; White Kennebec, background. And, everything to go with them!)
(Above, Lots of Tomatoes now....)
May, 2010
(Above: A chef's favorite, Shallots)
(Summer Squash: Top/Yellow Multi Pick; Right/Sunburst;
Bottom/Costata Romanesco Italian Zucchini; Left/Raven Zucchini)
Scorzonera, skinned and cut into little rounds, sauteed in butter with onions
and snow pea "peas"[peas from overly mature snow peas]....)
April, 2010
(Above: Farm Flowers in the Farm Stand! Left: Sweet Peas; Right: Snapdragons)
Snapdragons on the Farm Stand Table!
(Above, look for our Tomato Sign and Martha Gonzales Antique Roses....)
(Above: Red/yellow Chard;Fresh White & Red Onions....)
Sweet we-picked berries are coming from our Gause, Milam County Farm!
(Above, Parsnips! Excellent grated raw for a slaw or stewed for a pureé or roasted!)
(Spring flowers...Apricot Irises and Larkspur....)
(Above: "Jerico" Green Romaine and "Rosie" Red Romaine)
March, 2010
(Above, four butter head lettuces....)
(Fava Bean Blossoms -- Beans soon (April/May)
(Above: Spring Garlic!)
Above: Yaupon growing
everywhere at the Gause farm. Yaupon flowers are the earliest blooms in
the area, and the Bees' appetite and industry make for a pure signature
flavor. Above: Gause Yaupon Honey is now in the farm stand....Used in
fantastic recipes at restaurants Wink, Jeffrey's, and Olivia....
Above: Larry cutting broccoli....
A cold, rainy March market.....
Above, Beets and Sweet Japanese Hakarei Turnips...
Two varieties of Italian Escarole. "Cone type" and "Butterhead type".... both are tender, mild and delicious!
Great for salads, soups, stir fries...Zoot Restaurant's Chef Stewart Scruggs pairs our Italian Escarole with Blue Cheese and Poached Pears for a sell-out salad! (http://www.zootrestaurant.com/)
February, 2010
(Above: "Bonsai" Kale....It's the "delivery system" that makes it Bonsai! (short stem) ...
Variety name is, ahem, "Ripbor"!)
Tuesday, 2/23/10: Yes, we harvested until the advent of the "snowstorm."
Gause, big field with cover crop, above....2.23.10
(Above, Spring Garlic in the Snow at the Gause Farm)
A sunny market, for a change....
Above: Romaine lettuce, on the tables this week!
Above:
Green Garlic, the adolescent stage of garlic. Eat roots and the entire
stalk plus the leaves for wonderful garlic flavor in the winter! Now on
the farm stand tables, for a couple or three markets....
Above: Chioggia beets with rosemary and beet greens....
Above: Transplants of romaine and butter head lettuces from our greenhouse at the Gause farm
await planting at the Austin farm. Lettuce planting continues through mid-February....
January, 2010
Succulent Spinach and Fresh Eggs in the skillet for breakfast....
The egg in the center is the first laid by the young pullets....
The Italian escarole/butter head lettuce salad includes "chips" of Wateroak Farm's Ricotta and toasted Texas pecans. Olive oil and Balsamic vinegar from http://www.thepichetable.com/
Above: Green Garlic. All parts edible; it's adolescent garlic!
White and Gold Cauliflower, left, and Broccoli, right....
Above: left, Fremont Cauliflower; right, Cheddar....
Fresh, sweet Carrots! Above left, just harvested; above right, just washed; bottom, on the table!
These three varieties plus beautiful yellow carrots also!
Above, after the thaw, Andrea harvests the red carrots.
Above: The sun arrives to defrost the crops on Saturday, January 9th. Low temp: 9 degrees.
Battening down the Row Cover for the Big Chill...January 9th (9 degrees), January 10th (15 degrees),
January 11 (19 degrees), the worst cold spell in our 19 years of farming. This winter is the "correction" for the horrid record-breaking summer: Driest and hottest since 1854! What's next?
December, 2009
(Above, Carrots: 4 varieties, 3 colors)
Stained-glass Lettuce in the afternoon....Lettuce Salad Mix on the farm stand table....
Above: Kohlrabi, Daikon Radish, Carrots, Dan's Sweet Potatoes....
Eat the greens of the Kohlrabi and Daikon!
Hakurei Turnips, so sweet!
A very frosty 18 degrees last Saturday morning (December 5th). The carrots recovered nicely,
as did everything else (except eggplant and okra)....
At dawn, the David Austin "Heritage" rose bows her blooms to the 18 degree chill...
Left, Broccoli and Meyer Lemons; right, Collards, Brussels Greens, Dinosaur Kale & Red Russian Kale...
November, 2009
Above, our carrots and brassicas, newly mulched with straw donated by Whole Foods Market.
Good organic matter for the soil and a help with muddy pathways!
Left, Daikon Radishes; Right, Mustard Greens....
The Season's first crop of "Packman" Broccoli and bunches of Broccoli Greens (leaves, stalks, and stems are more nutritious than the heads!)
Eggplants and Radishes...odd companions, but Eggplant is winding down....
Pink Beauty Radishes....
Carrots growing....
Spring into fall! David Austin Heritage Rose....
Siberian Kale, as well as Red Russian and Dinosaur now on the farm stand tables!
Dinosaur Kale, now in the field; this Wed and Sat, on the farm stand tables!
Meyer Lemons on the tables starting this week! (11.11.09)
On the tables now...fall "Juliet" cherry tomatoes (small supply).
Left, Broccoli Greens (stems and leaves are more nutritious than the head of broccoli!)
Right, Broccoli, now on the farm stand tables..
Sweet Japanese Hakurei Turnips, now at the farm stand....
Left: Baby Dandelion Greens (Behind them are the Daikon Radishes!)
Right: Large, Sweet, Italian Marconi Peppers (use like Hatch or Poblanos)....
Left, If the Squirrels leave the Cucumbers alone, we may have more of them....Right, Nutritious Dandelion Greens
Fall Festival on Saturday, November 7th!
Celebratory music was provided by Acoustalyn.
This folk group creates beautiful, haunting songs with acoustic guitars, violins and vocal harmonies.
Copies of their debut cd 'Poison the Well' are available forpurchase.
Performance time: 9 a.m. http://www.myspace.com/acoustalyn
Satsuma "Oranges" now on the farm stand table....
Daikon Radish and its Greens are great in a salad! Above, the radish is grated with a box grater. Leaves and stems are cut in bite-sized pieces. Satsuma "orange/tangerine," plus cucumber and avocado slices, and cilantro are great additions. Apples and toasted pecans would also be great! I dressed the salad with Meyer lemon juice and one of PicheTable's great small estate-grown olive oils.
The platter is also from Piche. (http://www.thepichetable.com)
Daikon Radishes. The mild Greens should be eaten too, salad or saute.
Yet another version of Daikon Radishes and its Greens. Jeffrey's Restaurant's chef Deegun McClung (http://jeffreysofaustin.com) combined grated, blanched daikon with rice flour to make a thin "pancake" which was then topped with shredded daikon leaves and accents....One of the great tastes at last Sunday's Green Corn Project's Fall Fund Raiser, here at the farm....See more photos on Events Page
More Radishes! Above, Watermelon Radishes with edible greens....
October, 2009
Satsuma "oranges" on the tables....
Dan Sondgeroth's Sweet Potatoes....
Eggplant and Long Beans, studies in Purple and Green....
Early morning checkout by Larry....
The rains and the cooler air make for a "second spring!"
"Spring" is Falling: Crepe Myrtle blossoms....
Washing Radishes in the Root-wash Barn...
The Marias, smiling in the rain, as they harvest okra and eggplant....
After the summer in which August arrived in June, and September became a second spring,
the roses are enjoying the rain that persists into October....
Mei Qing Choi, in bunches, ready Oct. 3rd!
The Farm is in Bloom Again: A Second Spring!
September, 2009
Left: Baby Arugula...Right: this year's 15th crop of Arugula.....
On the Front Porch: Broccoli Transplants await planting in the field....
Larry and some Creamer Peas (at our Gause, Milam County Farm)
Larry and the Men Pick Peas at the Gause farm....
Creamer Peas....fresh from the Pea Sheller at Gause, bagged....
NOTE: The peas are blooming now, so we expect more in a couple of weeks....
Finally over five inches of rain within ten days....
Even the Ducks are at the Farm Stand!
And the mud in the play area is just divine!!
Over 5" of rain in September, making it our wettest month all year! Halellujah!!!
New Crop of Italian Romano Beans, beginning to bloom....Sprouting Rapini and Arugula to the left....
15th crop of Arugula this year!
Preparing for Fall Crops....Broccoli/Cauliflower will be planted here after soil is amended...
Steven ladles our still-steaming compost on top of the amendments. Then we "tickle-till" the peaks down a few inches, incorporating the seasonings, to produce a flat bed perfect for planting the crops.
The Pond at the Gause Farm....In wetter years, the water would cover all the vegetation...
Early Saturday morning....Getting the farm stand ready....
Texas Crisp Pears on market tables late August/early September...
August, 2009
Squash and Eggplant...
Where have all the heirloom tomatoes gone? The fruit went to farm stand customers,
the vines are going to the compost pile....
Above: Okra and Eggplant; Below: Creamer Peas and Onions
Bell Peppers, growing in the shaded Hoop House....
July, 2009
Limited Time: Kissed by the SUN, Larry's SUN-dried Tomatoes with Lake Travis Lavender's "Herbs de Tejas"
Above: The Marias, picking Creamer Peas for the Farm Stand....
Above: Old tools on the farm stand barn wall ....
August, 2010
Well, they ARE too hot for me, but maybe not for you!
Above: Lambs' Quarters and Amaranth, our summer greens!
Native Purslane--omega-3, copper, antioxidents, deliciously mild.
Sunflowers and Daesene Green Eggplant....
July, 2010
Creamer Peas to shell...
Above, Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes....
Asian Long Beans, now on the table! And Larry's Wild Mustang Grape Juice is on the shelf!
New crop Sunflowers....
Above, FRESH Basil and Early Girl Tomatoes....pair with WaterOak Dairy's New Feta cheese,
and a splash of good olive oil, vinegar, salt.....Yum!
Above, from Left to Right: Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes, yellow Lemon Boys, Marconi Peppers & Early Girl Tomatoes
Fig Harvest is ongoing!
June, 2010
(Above, Eggplant: Black Beauty, Daesene Green, and Rosa Bianca)
Above: Staging the Cherry Tomatoes for the farm stand.
Above: Lemon Boys and Early Girls....
Above: Our current favorite heirloom, "Oaxacan Jewel."
Sunflowers for the Farm Stand Market...
Above: Lots of Tomatoes. Left to right: Heirloom Cherokee Purple, Sun Gold Cherries, Heirloom Prudens' Purple, Heriloom Oaxacan Jewel.
On Wednesdays at the farm stand,
Pet Hens Tootie J. Tootums and Harriet are big fans of Barrie's croissants!
Above, the hens pay rapt attention to a generous visitor.
Pam Walker's new book! Available at the farm stand!
Tropical Melon "Arava"
Sunflowers....
Above: Sunflower harvest begins this week!
Zinnia Bouquets....
Red La Soda and White Kennebec Potatoes...
Above: Early Girl Tomatoes.
Above: Cherokee Purple and other heirloom tomatoes on the farm stand tables now!
Two of our favorite Squashes: Left, Italian heirloom, Costata Romanesco (one cut open to show its silken interior) and right, Sunburst in all its fanciful beauty!)
Tomatoes!
Try the chilled Cucumber/Avocado Soup at Texas French Bread/evenings!
(Above, FRESH Potatoes, potatoes:
Red La Soda, foreground; White Kennebec, background. And, everything to go with them!)
(Above, Lots of Tomatoes now....)
May, 2010
(Above: A chef's favorite, Shallots)
(Above,
our Blackberries. Not tons of them, but what we have are for sale!)
(Summer Squash: Top/Yellow Multi Pick; Right/Sunburst;
Bottom/Costata Romanesco Italian Zucchini; Left/Raven Zucchini)
Scorzonera, skinned and cut into little rounds, sauteed in butter with onions
and snow pea "peas"[peas from overly mature snow peas]....)
April, 2010
(Above: Farm Flowers in the Farm Stand! Left: Sweet Peas; Right: Snapdragons)
Snapdragons on the Farm Stand Table!
(Above, look for our Tomato Sign and Martha Gonzales Antique Roses....)
Sweet we-picked berries are coming from our Gause, Milam County Farm!
(Above, Parsnips! Excellent grated raw for a slaw or stewed for a pureé or roasted!)
(Spring flowers...Apricot Irises and Larkspur....)
(Above: "Jerico" Green Romaine and "Rosie" Red Romaine)
March, 2010
(Above, four butter head lettuces....)
(Fava Bean Blossoms -- Beans soon (April/May)
(Above: Spring Garlic!)
Above: Larry cutting broccoli....
A cold, rainy March market.....
Above, Beets and Sweet Japanese Hakarei Turnips...
Two varieties of Italian Escarole. "Cone type" and "Butterhead type".... both are tender, mild and delicious!
Great for salads, soups, stir fries...Zoot Restaurant's Chef Stewart Scruggs pairs our Italian Escarole with Blue Cheese and Poached Pears for a sell-out salad! (http://www.zootrestaurant.com/)
February, 2010
(Above: "Bonsai" Kale....It's the "delivery system" that makes it Bonsai! (short stem) ...
Variety name is, ahem, "Ripbor"!)
Tuesday, 2/23/10: Yes, we harvested until the advent of the "snowstorm."
Gause, big field with cover crop, above....2.23.10
(Above, Spring Garlic in the Snow at the Gause Farm)
A sunny market, for a change....
Two
Escaroles: The familiar large, frilly head, joined by an Italian
variety (grown from Italian seed) that is "bitter/sweet" and great in a
salad (below), perhaps paired with a butterhead lettuce....
Both escaroles are very nutritious!
Both escaroles are very nutritious!
Above: Chioggia beets with rosemary and beet greens....
Above: Transplants of romaine and butter head lettuces from our greenhouse at the Gause farm
await planting at the Austin farm. Lettuce planting continues through mid-February....
January, 2010
Succulent Spinach and Fresh Eggs in the skillet for breakfast....
The egg in the center is the first laid by the young pullets....
The Italian escarole/butter head lettuce salad includes "chips" of Wateroak Farm's Ricotta and toasted Texas pecans. Olive oil and Balsamic vinegar from http://www.thepichetable.com/
Above: Green Garlic. All parts edible; it's adolescent garlic!
White and Gold Cauliflower, left, and Broccoli, right....
Above: left, Fremont Cauliflower; right, Cheddar....
These three varieties plus beautiful yellow carrots also!
Above, after the thaw, Andrea harvests the red carrots.
Above: The sun arrives to defrost the crops on Saturday, January 9th. Low temp: 9 degrees.
Battening down the Row Cover for the Big Chill...January 9th (9 degrees), January 10th (15 degrees),
January 11 (19 degrees), the worst cold spell in our 19 years of farming. This winter is the "correction" for the horrid record-breaking summer: Driest and hottest since 1854! What's next?
December, 2009
(Above, Carrots: 4 varieties, 3 colors)
Stained-glass Lettuce in the afternoon....Lettuce Salad Mix on the farm stand table....
Left: Freckles Tender Romaine; Right: Two Lemony treats: Meyer Lemons and French Sorrel
Above: Kohlrabi, Daikon Radish, Carrots, Dan's Sweet Potatoes....
Eat the greens of the Kohlrabi and Daikon!
Hakurei Turnips, so sweet!
A very frosty 18 degrees last Saturday morning (December 5th). The carrots recovered nicely,
as did everything else (except eggplant and okra)....
At dawn, the David Austin "Heritage" rose bows her blooms to the 18 degree chill...
Left, Broccoli and Meyer Lemons; right, Collards, Brussels Greens, Dinosaur Kale & Red Russian Kale...
November, 2009
Above, our carrots and brassicas, newly mulched with straw donated by Whole Foods Market.
Good organic matter for the soil and a help with muddy pathways!
Left, Daikon Radishes; Right, Mustard Greens....
The Season's first crop of "Packman" Broccoli and bunches of Broccoli Greens (leaves, stalks, and stems are more nutritious than the heads!)
Eggplants and Radishes...odd companions, but Eggplant is winding down....
Pink Beauty Radishes....
Carrots growing....
Spring into fall! David Austin Heritage Rose....
Siberian Kale, as well as Red Russian and Dinosaur now on the farm stand tables!
Dinosaur Kale, now in the field; this Wed and Sat, on the farm stand tables!
Novella
was one of two omnivore panelists (with two vegetarians, plus moderator
Corby Kummer) on the "Eating Meat, or Not" panel at the recent Texas
Book Festival. She later
came to a dinner at BCF, hosted by East Austin farmers. This is her
entertaining new book on a version of "backyard farming." We highly
recommend it.
Meyer Lemons on the tables starting this week! (11.11.09)
On the tables now...fall "Juliet" cherry tomatoes (small supply).
Left, Broccoli Greens (stems and leaves are more nutritious than the head of broccoli!)
Right, Broccoli, now on the farm stand tables..
Sweet Japanese Hakurei Turnips, now at the farm stand....
Left: Baby Dandelion Greens (Behind them are the Daikon Radishes!)
Right: Large, Sweet, Italian Marconi Peppers (use like Hatch or Poblanos)....
Left, If the Squirrels leave the Cucumbers alone, we may have more of them....Right, Nutritious Dandelion Greens
Fall Festival on Saturday, November 7th!
Celebratory music was provided by Acoustalyn.
This folk group creates beautiful, haunting songs with acoustic guitars, violins and vocal harmonies.
Copies of their debut cd 'Poison the Well' are available forpurchase.
Performance time: 9 a.m. http://www.myspace.com/acoustalyn
Satsuma "Oranges" now on the farm stand table....
Daikon Radish and its Greens are great in a salad! Above, the radish is grated with a box grater. Leaves and stems are cut in bite-sized pieces. Satsuma "orange/tangerine," plus cucumber and avocado slices, and cilantro are great additions. Apples and toasted pecans would also be great! I dressed the salad with Meyer lemon juice and one of PicheTable's great small estate-grown olive oils.
The platter is also from Piche. (http://www.thepichetable.com)
Daikon Radishes. The mild Greens should be eaten too, salad or saute.
Yet another version of Daikon Radishes and its Greens. Jeffrey's Restaurant's chef Deegun McClung (http://jeffreysofaustin.com) combined grated, blanched daikon with rice flour to make a thin "pancake" which was then topped with shredded daikon leaves and accents....One of the great tastes at last Sunday's Green Corn Project's Fall Fund Raiser, here at the farm....See more photos on Events Page
More Radishes! Above, Watermelon Radishes with edible greens....
October, 2009
Satsuma "oranges" on the tables....
Dan Sondgeroth's Sweet Potatoes....
Eggplant and Long Beans, studies in Purple and Green....
Early morning checkout by Larry....
The rains and the cooler air make for a "second spring!"
"Spring" is Falling: Crepe Myrtle blossoms....
Washing Radishes in the Root-wash Barn...
The Marias, smiling in the rain, as they harvest okra and eggplant....
After the summer in which August arrived in June, and September became a second spring,
the roses are enjoying the rain that persists into October....
Mei Qing Choi, in bunches, ready Oct. 3rd!
The Farm is in Bloom Again: A Second Spring!
September, 2009
Left: Baby Arugula...Right: this year's 15th crop of Arugula.....
On the Front Porch: Broccoli Transplants await planting in the field....
Larry and some Creamer Peas (at our Gause, Milam County Farm)
Larry and the Men Pick Peas at the Gause farm....
Creamer Peas....fresh from the Pea Sheller at Gause, bagged....
NOTE: The peas are blooming now, so we expect more in a couple of weeks....
Finally over five inches of rain within ten days....
Even the Ducks are at the Farm Stand!
And the mud in the play area is just divine!!
Over 5" of rain in September, making it our wettest month all year! Halellujah!!!
New Crop of Italian Romano Beans, beginning to bloom....Sprouting Rapini and Arugula to the left....
15th crop of Arugula this year!
Preparing for Fall Crops....Broccoli/Cauliflower will be planted here after soil is amended...
Steven ladles our still-steaming compost on top of the amendments. Then we "tickle-till" the peaks down a few inches, incorporating the seasonings, to produce a flat bed perfect for planting the crops.
Above, two varieties of Purslane....nutritious and delicious. Add purslane raw to any saute or pasta or use instead of lettuce for salads, tacos, and sandwiches.
Texas
Crisp Pears...great with all the produce: slice thinly for salads (with
arugula, purslane or amaranth); chop for saute; grate to sprinkle on
salads; stew with butter for ice cream or yogurt toppings; of course,
the pears make great pies!
The Pond at the Gause Farm....In wetter years, the water would cover all the vegetation...
Early Saturday morning....Getting the farm stand ready....
Texas Crisp Pears on market tables late August/early September...
August, 2009
Squash and Eggplant...
Where have all the heirloom tomatoes gone? The fruit went to farm stand customers,
the vines are going to the compost pile....
Above: Okra and Eggplant; Below: Creamer Peas and Onions
Bell Peppers, growing in the shaded Hoop House....
July, 2009
Limited Time: Kissed by the SUN, Larry's SUN-dried Tomatoes with Lake Travis Lavender's "Herbs de Tejas"